New online learning platform, eLearnAfrica, has partnered with the Association of African Universities to expand access to its courses to a targeted 10 million students across the continent.

eLearnAfrica has seen close to one million visits to its site since it was launched four months ago. Photo: eLearnAfrica

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About Natalie MarshNatalie studied journalism at City University London, and spent part of her degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has reported at the European Forum Alpbach in Austria, and interned in the House of Commons. In her spare time, she is either glued to the news channels or watching Once Upon A Time.

Through this partnership, university students will be able to access courses offered through the platform online or through a mobile app.

The partnership means that Association of African Universities‘ 380 member institutions across 46 countries will also be able to offer courses through eLearnAfrica’s learning management system.

“The AAU is the most important higher education coordinating body”

Using the services provided by the online learning platform to expand their own educational opportunities will enable AAU’s members to expand their reach to greater numbers of students, particularly in more rural areas.

Etienne Ehouan Ehile, secretary general of the AAU, said Africa faces a constant challenge of having only limited access to quality higher education.

“Therefore building capacities of African universities to be innovative in their teaching and learning methods for increased access to quality higher education is top priority for the AAU,” he said.

“This partnership with eLearnAfrica will help us achieve this goal.”

eLearnAfrica currently offers over 1,000 courses from higher education institutions worldwide, as well as vocational courses in a number of professional development fields, including business administration and software development.

The online platform only launched in November last year. However, since its inception, the site has had close to one million visits.

“The AAU is the most important higher education coordinating body,” said Brook Negussie, CEO of eLearnAfrica. “We are looking forward to developing and delivering content with the member universities throughout Africa.”

With the demand for higher education far exceeding the supply on the continent, online delivery is increasingly being looked at as an alternative way to address capacity constraints.

“Online degrees are a great way for universities to extend and diversify their academic reach in a sustainable and scalable manner,” said Negussie.

“We hope to significantly increase the number of students earning degrees in the next few years by literally putting in the palms of their hands the tools they need to succeed.”

“Online degrees are a great way for universities to extend and diversify their academic reach in a sustainable and scalable manner”

eLearnAfrica also works with other MOOC providers, including UK-based FutureLearn, as well as US-based edX, to offer online courses from some of the world’s top institutions.

The platform also uses itSM solutions to deliver on-demand programmes in the medium of video.

In December, eLearnAfrica also partnered with Zambian Open University, which is now offering courses through the platform. The university enrolled around 3,000 students in 2016, and with this partnership, expects to grow numbers by another 50%.

Unicaf University has also recently signed up to offer courses through the website. Unicaf, which originated from Cyprus, provides scholarships for students in sub-Saharan Africa to study at its partner institutions online.

“Unicaf University is a leader in the provision of online degrees with world-class professors, made affordable through generous scholarships,” said Negussie, adding: “We are excited to offer Unicaf University’s programmes on eLearnAfrica.com and look forward to our mutually beneficial co-operation in the years ahead.”

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